Dukan Diet

So there it is, I’m fat and mad and finally ready to do something about it. What’s about to happen?

Over the summer – this journey officially began in July of 2011 – I decided to follow the diet that my “podcast friend” introduced to me several weeks ago. I read of his journey and decided that I owed myself an honest attempt.

Dr. Dukan’s premise is pretty simple – Carbs are bad – which is similar to the message of the Atkins, and South Beach diets.

The Dukan plan is broken into 4 Phases.

Attack

Cruise

Consolidation

Stabilization

The first 2 are the weight loss stages and the second 2 are the long term maintenance plans. I think part of me was drawn to the emphasis placed on the sustainability. Accomplishing a goal is grand, but fleeting if it cannot become the new state of things, so the attention paid upfront was good to see.

The phases, in short, break down like this:

Attack – 3-5 days of pure proteins. Nothing but proteins. This phase is designed to “shock the system” (my words), and deplete the carb stores immediately available to your body. This is a period of rapid weight loss.

Cruise – Alternating days or pure proteins and proteins with some vegetables. Face it, your body does require vegetables (your mother was right). Your body and mind also crave some diversity so this phase allows for such. Most of the weight loss occurs during this phase and its duration is a function of the weight you’re trying to lose.

Consolidation – This phase accommodates the transition between “being on a diet” and not. It’s a series of gradual steps that serve to reinforce new habits while allowing access to food previously not allowed. The duration of this phase is a function of the weight lost.

Stabilization – This phase is your new relationship with food. Face it, if you drop 50 pounds (which is approximately my goal) then how you view food has (or certain should) change forever. This phase recognizes that and implants ideals that you’ll carry with you forever. Basically. you can eat anything you want in moderation (1 quality serving), proteins as much as you’d like, and 1 pure protein day per week – Protein Thursday’s per the book.

So what do I think about this program? We’ll, I’m intrigued enough to give it a ride. How’s it working? Following along as I share my experience and report my progress. I’ll be posting here weekly starting next week. I hope you’ll join me and follow along with questions and comments.

Devised by Dr. Pierre Dukan, a French medical doctor who has spent his career helping people to lose weight, the Dukan Diet rejects counting calories and promises permanent weight loss while allowing adherents to eat as much as they like.